Executive shine

Business leaders raise $4,000 at a car wash benefiting a hospital

Top business leaders were dressed in T-shirts and shorts rather than coats and ties yesterday as they scrubbed down dozens of cars at the Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific in Nuuanu.

It was the fourth annual "Make My Boss Wash My Car Day," where executives volunteer to wash cars as a fundraiser for the hospital's Louis Vuitton Creative Art Therapy Program.

John Komeiji, the chairman of the board of the hospital, said: "We're washing cars trying to support the program. The program helps people who have disabilities learn skills to become artists. We're getting top CEOs in the state as well as people from the board. They all recognized the contributions of the program makes and they all support the program."

About 30 "executive" car washers participated.

"I think it's great. It gives them the opportunity of serving the people that serve them all year long. It's good fun, we're having a good time," said Gil Tam, the vice president of Waimana Enterprises. His niece, Jerrene Takeuchi looked on, laughing as he was covered in soap suds. "It's fun, I enjoy watching him wash our cars," she said.

The president of Hawaii Gourmet Cookies, Michael Ching, said that it was funny when his employees brought their cars for him to wash. "They were so kind, they went to four-wheel drive in mud before coming here," he joked.

"I think it's good, employees like to see that their bosses actually work," Ching added. "I think for all of us, this is a homecoming. This is the way all of us earned our first dollar. It was either wash car, clean yard or clean house."